Products that are delivered in aerosol spray containers are generally not favored by purchasers when compared to non-aerosol spray or ‘pump’ containers. This preference may be caused by higher costs of certain aerosol containers or concerns over a negative environmental impact of the aerosols due to the difficulty of recycling these containers. Additionally, there is concern that some aerosol containers continue to include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Both CFCs and VOCs are viewed as harmful to the environment.
In locations such as airports, office buildings, hotels and public buildings, dispensers may be installed which only accept aerosol containers. Aerosol spray containers deliver a suspension of fine particles (solid or liquid) in a gas under pressure. When the spray nozzle of the aerosol container is depressed, the pressurized suspension is released into the air propelled by the gas. Non-aerosol or pump spray containers are packaged as a liquid and are emitted as small droplets propelled in short bursts. This difference in delivery of the material from the container creates a barrier to using a dispenser that is configured to dispense materials from an aerosol container to dispense materials from a non-aerosol container. Additionally, the removal and replacement of these dispensers can be costly and time-consuming.
The present invention provides a dispenser system which permits products to be dispensed from either aerosol or non-aerosol containers from the same dispenser. In some instances, a dispenser that was originally configured to dispense materials from aerosol containers may be reconfigured to dispense materials from non-aerosol containers. The present invention may also be utilized to simplify the manufacture of dispensers so that similarly designed dispensers may be easily configured to dispense materials from either aerosol or non-aerosol containers.